China-Italy Industrial Park Settles in Liangjiang New Area Both Sides Seek Greater Cooperation in the Automotive Sector

□ Article/Journalists Hu Rui Zeng Rui

China-Italy Industrial Park Settles in Liangjiang New Area Both Sides Seek Greater Cooperation in the Automotive Sector

□ Article/Journalists Hu Rui Zeng Rui

On August 3, the third forum of the Chongqing-Italy international automobile, transportation and logistics cooperation as well as the successful case of the Belt and Road and future opportunities was held in Liangjiang New Area. At the meeting, Chongqing and Italy signed the Agreement on Jointly Supporting the Establishment of Italian Industrial Park Cooperation between Liangjiang New Area Administration Commission of Chongqing & the Italy Consulate General in Chongqing and the Agreement on Establishing the Bilateral Investment Promotion Center of Italy & Liangjiang New Area(Chongqing). the meeting, Chen Lvping, Member of the Standing Committee, Deputy Mayor, Secretary of the Party &Labour Union of the Liangjiang New Area, Director of Liangjiang New Area Administration Commission of Chongqing, met with Ivan Scalfarotto, the Vice Minister of Italian Minister of Economic Development, and his party. Tang Zongwei, Deputy Secretary of the Party & Labour Union of the Liangjiang New Area and Deputy Director of Liangjiang New Area Administration Commission of Chongqing, Ettore Francesco SEQUI, Italian Ambassador in China,Sergio Maffettone, Consul General of the Italian Consulate in Chongqing, and nearly 100 Chinese and Italian guests participated in the activities.

According to the agreement, Chongqing Liangjiang New Area and Italian Consulate General in Chongqing will jointly promote deep cooperation between the enterprises of Chongqing and Italy in the automobile, bio-medicine, aerospace, fi nance, commerce, logistics,technological innovation, environmental protection and other areas,and the cooperation project will be settled in China-Italy Industrial Park in Liangjiang New Area. At the same time, Italy and Liangjiang New Area agreed that Bilateral Investment Promotion Center will be built as the fi rst joint project of Italy and Liangjiang New Area(Chongqing).

Chongqing has been working closely with Italy on automobile manufacture and transportation services. Italian automobile industry has Ferrari, Lamborghini and many other world-renowned automobile brands, as well as a group of world-recognized automobile design masters. Chongqing is China's largest automobile manufacturing base, with an annual output of 3 million vehicles, accounting for about 1/5 of China's output. It has a unique position in the fi eld of global automobile manufacturing. Tan Jun,the general manager of Chongqing Public Transport Holdings(Group) Limited Company said, Chongqing has cooperated with CNH Industrial, an Italian company in providing integrated services for public transport, taxis, cableway transport and related industries in Chongqing. Tan Jun said that the bus priority is the key to solve the problem of urban traffic congestion, while CNH Industrial is Italy's outstanding urban comprehensive transport service provider,with 64 factories, 180 market countries and 40 R&D centers.At the beginning of 2017, Chongqing Public Transport Group and CNH Industrial traffic service department launched the first cross-Yangtze River Bridge route optimization pilot project, which involves 27 bus lines, a total of 647 buses. The related results are expected to be presented to the public in mid-September this year.

On the day of the forum, Gong Daxing, the Chairman of East Shineray Holdings Limited Company, introduced the experience that Shineray Group once bought SWM Swinburne Automobile,one of Europe's three largest SUV brands in Italy. In 2014,Shineray Group acquired more than 50 million euros of assets in Italy with 25 million euros, including BMW's motorcycle factory and SWM brand. In February 2014, the SWM Swinburne bought by Shineray established a design center in Italy. In May 2014,SWM Car Swinburne began its manufacturing base construction in Fuling, Chongqing. Gong Daxing believes that the industrial complementation of combining Italy elements with China's lowcost and ef fi cient productivity will create greater opportunities for cooperation between the two sides.